Coin-dispensing device



United States Patent Ofitice 3,343,553 Patented Sept. 26, 15367 3,343,553 CGIN-DISPENSING DEVIE rank C. Whitrnore, 279-B Spring St,

Red Bank, NJ. 07701 Filed Mar. 30, 1966, Ser. No. 538,804 4 Claims. (Cl. 1334) ABSTRACT OF THE DTSCLGSURE A coin-dispensing device including a body portion having a bore therein to provide a coin storage tube. A base plate having a recess in the upper surface and a through bore is connected to the body portion so that the axis of the bore is laterally ofiset from the axis of the tube. A slide having an aperture therethrough is received in the recess for movement between a coin-receiving and a coinejecting position wherein a coin passes through the bore in the base plate. A slot is positioned adjacent to the slide and receives a lateral projection connected to the slide.

The rear wall of the recess is positioned to engage the slide, when the slide is in the coin-receiving position and the front wall of the slot is adapted to engage the lateral projection when the slide is in the coin-ejecting position to provide means for quickly indexing the slide between the coin-receiving and the coin-ejecting positions, thereby to provide a coin-dispensing device which is simple in construction and easy to operate.

This invention relates generally to an improved coindispensingvdevice.

Many coin-dispensing apparatuses are presently commercially available. While individual ones of these coindispensing apparatus or devices may vary in some minor respects, their construction and their operation is substantially the same. For example, a typical prior art device may comprise a base which supports a plurality of upstanding coin-stacking tubes in spaced relation to each other and wherein each tube is provided with a bottom opening. The inside diameters of the tubes are slightly larger than the particular denomination of the coin they are adapted to receive. Located at the bottom of each of the plurality of tubes is a respective movable ejector plate having an aperture which is coaxial with the associated coin tube opening and which receives the bottommost coin in said associated coin tube. Laterally offset forwardly from the coin tubes and the coaxial apertures are respective bores which are provided in the base and through which the coins are adapted to be dispensed. These bores are positioned so that they overlap the associated aperture and coin tube opening. Accordingly, upon the selective operation of an ejector mechanism, the desired ejector plate is moved forward until the coin carried by the plate overlies and passes through the corresponding bore in the base thereby to dispense the coin. The coin plate is normally biased to its position wherein the aperture is aligned with the respective coin-stacking tube opening after the mechanism is released.

While the above-described prior art coin-dispensing device is useful for dispensing different denominations of coins, it nonetheless has severe disadvantages associated with its continued use. For example, it has been found that a slight joggling of this device causes the coins received in the apertures in the ejector plates to pass through the corresponding bores in the base albeit the ejector mechanism has not been operated. Additionally, the slightest change in tension in the biasing means prevents the ejector plate from returning to its normal position. Moreover, the bending of any one of the coin-stacking tubes, as by accidentally dropping the device, causes the tube opening to become misaligned with respect to the aperture in the associated ejector plate thereby similarly rendering the device useless.

Accordingly, the desideraturn of the present invention is to provide a coin-dispensing device which substantially eliminates the possibility of accidentally dispensing a coin.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coin-dispensing device having coinstacking tubes which are not subject to misalignment with respect to the ejector slides.

Additional objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coin-dispensing device constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the coin dispensing device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the coin-dispensing device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the present device, to enlarged scale, taken along line 55 of FIG. 4, and showing the ejector slide in the coin-dispensing position;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 5, illustrating the ejector slide in the coin-receiving position;

FIG. 7 is a detailed sectional view, with parts broken away, of the biasing arrangement for the ejector slide to enlarged scale, taken along line 77 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of an ejector slide, to enlarged scale, constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a detailed vertical sectional view of a modified embodiment of a coin stacking tube showing the insertion of a coin in phantom.

The present invention contemplates the use of a body having coin-stacking cylinders therein which are provided with respective bottom openings. A base plate covers the bottom openings of the cylinder and it is provided with respective through bores which are laterally offset with respect to the associated bottom opening. Respective ejector slides having apertures therein are movably interposed between the bottom openings and the bores and they are normally biased to a position wherein the apertures are aligned with respective ones of the bores. In order to operate the device of the present invention, the selected ejector slide is moved rearwardly until the aperture therein is aligned with the bottom opening of the associated cylinder whereby a coin is received in the aperture. The ejector slide is then released and, under the action of its biasing means, returns to its normal position whereby the coin is dispensed through the associated bore in the base plate. Since the aperture in the ejector slide is normally out of alignment with the bottom opening in the cylinder, as contradistinguished from devices used heretofore, the possibility of a coin being accidentally dispensed from the device thereby is eliminated.

More specifically, a coin-dispensing device constructed in accordance with the present invention is designated generally by the numeral 10 in FIG. 1 and comprises a body portion 12, a base plate portion 14 and a plurality of movable ejector slides 16-29. The body portion 12 is provided with a front wall 22, a rear wall 24, a top wall 26, and opposed side walls 30 and 32. Provided in the body portion 12 are three longitudinally spaced holes 34, 36 and 38 which extend upwardly from the bottom wall 23 and which terminate in spaced relation to the top wall 26 to define three coin-stacking cylinders having closed tops and open bottoms. The axes of the cylinders 34-38 are coplanar and the diameters of the respective cylinders are slightly larger than the diameter of the coins which are adapted to be received therein. For example, in the embodiment shown, the cylinder 34 is adapted to receive and stack quarters, the cylinder 36 is adapted to receive and stack dimes, and the cylinder 38 is adapted to receive and stack nickels. While three different coin-stacking cylinders have been shown, it is to be understood that this is by way of illustration only and it is not to be interpreted as a limitation on the present device. That is to say, the cylinders provided may be greater or less in number than the three cylinders disclosed and the respective cylinders may be sized to receive the same or different denominations of coins in accordance with the particular requirements of the user.

Connected to the body portion is the base plate 14. As shown in the figures, the base plate 14 is coextensive with the Walls 24, 30 and 32 of the body portion 12 and it extends beyond the front wall 22 for a predetermined distance. The front wall 22 terminates above the plate 14 to define openings for respective grooves or slots 40, 42 and 44. The slots 40-44 are defined by the bottom surface and rear wall of the body member 10 and the upper surface of the plate 14. The slots 40-44 respectively communicate with a different one of the cylinders 34, 36 and 38. Each of the slots 40, 42 and 44 extends to the front edge of the base plate 14. The respective rectangular slots 40-44 are sized in accordance with the dimensions of the coin which is to be received in the overlying or associated coin-stacking cylinder, as explained more fully hereinafter. Provided in the base plate 14 are three discharge openings 46, 48 and 50 which respectively communicate with one of the slots 40, 42 and 44. The axes of the respective openings 46, 48 and 50 are parallel to and laterally offset forwardly of the axes of the coin-stacking cylinders 34, 36 and 38, respectively, so that the openings 46-50 are similarly laterally offset forward by the opening of the cylinders 34-38 and they overlap the bottom opening of the respective cylinders 34-38 by a predetermined distance. The diameters of the openings 46, 48 and 50 are slightly larger than the diameters of the associated cylinders 34, 36 and 38 to facilitate the passage of coins therethrough.

Slideably received in each of the slots 40, 42 and 44- is a respective one of the ejector slides 16, 18 and 20, the front edges of which are coplanar and extend beyond the front edge of the base plate 14. The ejector slides 16-20 are provided with respective through apertures 52, 54 and 56, the diameters of which are substantially the same as the respective diameter of the associated coinstacking cylinders. That is to say, the diameters of the aperture 52 and the cylinder 34 are equal; the diameters of the aperture 54 and the cylinder 36 are equal; and, the diameter of the aperture 56 and the cylinder 38 are equal. The ejector slides 16-20 are individually and selectively movable in the respective slots 40-44 between a first position wherein the apertures 52-56 are aligned with the respective one of the coin-stacking cylinders 34-38, and a second position wherein the respective apertures 52-56 are aligned with an associated bore 46-50.

A biasing assembly designated generally by the numeral 58 (FIGS. 3 and 7) biases the respective ejector slides 16-20 to the second position. More specifically, the biasing assembly 58 comprises complementary formed recesses in the body member 10 and the top surface of the base plate 14 which define enclosed grooves 60 and 62 between adjacent ones of the slots 40-44. Slidably received in the respective grooves 60 and 62 are tabs which project laterally from the adjacent ejector slides. In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, the slide is provided with a tab 64 which projects laterally toward the right and which is slidably received in the groove 62. Similarly, the slide 16 is provided with a tab 66 which projects laterally toward the left and which is slidably received in the slot 60. On the other hand, the slide 18 is provided with opposed laterally projecting tabs 68 and 70 which are respectively received in the grooves 62 and 60 in juxtaposition to the respective tabs 62 and 66. The biasing assembly 58 further includes a piston 72 in each of the grooves 60, 62, which engages the tabs received in the respective grooves, and a spring 74, which biases the piston 72 forwardly. Accordingly, the tabs 64 and 68 will normally engage the front end wall of the groove 62 and the tabs 66 and 70 will normally engage the front end wall of the groove 60. The respective tabs 64-70 are so located with respect to the associated ejector slides 16-20 so that when the tabs abut the front or forward end wall of the grooves 60, 62, the respective ejector slides 16-20 will be in the aforementioned second position. In other words, the biasing assemblies 58 bias the ejector slides 16-20 so that the respective apertures are normally aligned with the respective discharge openings 46-50. Additionally, slides 16-20 are provided with laterally extending tabs 23 adjacent the front edges thereof, which slidably engage an adjacent tab 23 when the slides are in their forward position to maintain the slides correctly oriented in their associated slots.

In practice, the coin-dispensing device 10 may be fabricated from an unbreakable plastic. Moreover, the device may be made opaque so that its contents will be hidden from view. Additionally, the rear wall 28 of the body portion 12 and the rear edge of the base plate 14 may be provided with a continuous dovetail groove 76 which terminates below the top wall 26. The groove 76 is adapted to receive a complementary formed.member (not shown) for mounting the device 10.

The operation of the device of the present invention will be explained with respect to the coin-stacking cylinder 36, it being understood that the operation is similar for the other coin-stacking cylinders. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a plurality of coins C are received and stacked in the coin-stacking cylinder 36. The ejector slide 18 is normally in the second position wherein the aperture 54 is aligned with the discharge opening 48 under the action of the associated biasing arrangement 58, as shown in FIG. 5. Since the aperture 54 and the opening 48 are offset forwardly of the bottom opening of the cylinder 36, the plurality of coins C rest on the rear edge of the coin-receiving slide 18 and thereby are prevented from passing through the aperture and bore.

When it is desired to eject a coin C, a force is exerted on the front edge of the slide 18 to push it rearwardly against the biasing action of the springs 74 until the rear edge of the slide abuts the rear end wall of the slot 42. The slots 40-44 are sized so that the respective slides received therein will be in the first position (wherein the aperture in the respective slide is aligned with the bottom opening in the associated cylinder) when the slide abuts the rear wall of the respective slot. Moreover, the height of the slots 40-44 and the associated ejector slides 16-20 are sized so that a preselected number of coins will be received in the respective apertures in the ejector slides. Thus, a coin C will fall into the aperture 54 and rest upon the upper surface of the plate 14 that underlies the aperture 54 (FIG. 6). The slide 18 is then released and the biasing assemblies 58 cause the slide to return to the second position whereby the coin C passes through the bore 48 into the hand of the operator.

The coin-stacking cylinder 36 is loaded with coins by reversing the above-described procedure. That is, the device 10 is inverted and a coin is inserted through the discharge opening 48 and is received in the aperture 54 with the coin resting on the bottom edge of the front'wall 22. The slide 18 is then depressed to the first position whereby the coin C falls into the cylinder 36. This operation may be repeated until the coins C fill the cylinder. In the alternative, the top wall may be provided with slots 78, one of which is shown in FIG. 9, which communicate with the respective cylinders whereby the coins C may be inserted into the cylinders through the associated slot 78. This feature provides a top-loading device which does not have to be inverted in order to fill the cylinders. The cylinder 36 may also be filled by depressing the slide 18 until it is approximately midway between its first and second positions. The coin C is then inserted through the discharge opening 48 and the apertures 54 and it is received within the cylinder 36.

Accordingly, a coin dispensing of the type utilizing a slide to eject a coin has been provided which substantially eliminates the accidental loss of coins therefrom and which further eliminates the possibility of misalignment between the coin-stacking means and the coin-receiving slides since individual coin-receiving tubes are eliminated.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that numerous omissions, changes and additions may be made in such embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A coin-dispensing device comprising a body having a plurality of cylindrical bores therein which are adapted to receive and stack coins of different denominations, a base plate covering said bores, said base plate having an article discharge opening therein, the axis of each of said discharge openings being laterally offset from the axis of the respective cylindrical bores, a space between said bottom plate and said body, a slide received between each cylinder and its respective discharge opening and each slide having an aperture therethrough, said slides being individually and selectively movable between a first position wherein the apertures are aligned with the respective cylinder to receive a coin therefrom and a second position wherein said apertures are aligned with said respective discharge openings to dispense a coin therethrough, a groove defined in said body and base plate and positioned adjacent each one of said slides, each of said slides having a lateral projection extending into the associated groove adapted to engage the front wall of the groove when said slide is in said second position, and biasing means in each one of said grooves in engagement with the lateral projection on the associated slide to bias said slide to the second position, whereby said slide normally remains in said second position.

2. A coin-dispensing device as in claim 1, wherein the top surface of said body is provided with a slot for each of said plurality of cylinders for loading each of said plurality of cylinders from the top.

3. A coin-dispensing device as in claim 1, wherein said biasing means includes a spring received in said groove, said spring extending between said lateral projection and rear wall of said groove to bias said slide so that the lateral projection engages the front wall of said groove.

4. A coin-dispensing device as in claim 3, and a piston between said spring and said lateral projection adapted to engage the lateral projection of adjacent ones of said slides.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 288,714 11/ 1883 Lockwood et al. 1-3-3-5 569,214 10/1896 Levin 13 3-4 792,923 6/1905 Porter 133-4 1,787,085 12/ 1930 Nelson 133-5 2,416,486 2/1947 Leese 133-5 2,600,961 6/1952 Biehl 133-5 2,615,454 10/1952 Leese 133-5 FOREIGN PATENTS 600,557 7/ 1934 Germany.

WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A COIN-DISPENSING DEVICE COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL BORES THEREIN WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND STACK COINS OF DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS, A BASE PLATE COVERING SAID BORES, SAID BASE PLATE HAVING AN ARTICLE DISCHARGE OPENING THEREIN, THE AXIS OF EACH OF SAID DISCHARGE OPENINGS BEING LATERALLY OFFSET FROM THE AXIS OF THE RESPECTIVE CYLINDRICAL BORES, A SPACE BETWEEN SAID BOTTOM PLATE AND SAID BODY, A SLIDE RECEIVED BETWEEN EACH CYLINDER AND ITS RESPECTIVE DISCHARGE OPENING AND EACH SLIDE HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH, SAID SLIDES BEING INDIVIDUALLY AND SELECTIVELY MOVABLE BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION WHEREIN THE APERTURES ARE ALIGNED WITH THE RESPECTIVE CYLINDER TO RECEIVE A COIN THEREFROM AND A SECOND POSITION WHEREIN SAID APERTURES ARE ALIGNED WITH SAID RESPECTIVE DISCHARGE OPENINGS TO DISPENSE A COIN THERETHROUGH, A GROOVE DEFINED 